Reno Moms Blog Building a Community of Moms in the Biggest Little City
On Saturday, the community is invited to come together for a special art project at the Urban Roots Teaching Farm, Painting For Compassion that is spreading positive messages of support and hope to the community while offering information and resources about suicide prevention.
This event grew from a child’s question. Caroline Moassessi of Gratefulfoodie.com‘s teenage daughter came home one afternoon and told her mom that a friend was struggling, and she wanted to know what to say when someone is dealing with thoughts about suicide and other mental health issues. She asked her mom: How do we help? What do we do?
It’s a tough question that is often not talked about, but almost all of us have been touched by suicide and its lasting effects. And let’s face it, suicide is not easy to talk about with adults, much less children.
Caroline realized that kids here in Reno and Washoe County needed the tools to not only know how to respond but also needed to learn how to listen and be compassionate with their friends and their families. So over lunch with local media maven Connie Wray-Gaudard, from Reno‘s FUN 100.9 and The Next Stage, the ladies come up with an idea. Why not bring people together to not only learn about suicide prevention resources available for children, adults, and families but also share messages of support and hope for the community. They called Fayth Ross at Urban Roots. Could they hold the event at the Urban Roots Teaching Farm?
Fayth loved the idea of kids supporting the community with messages of hope while being able to teach them about the emotional benefits of being outside and gardening. You know who else loved the idea, Grant Denton from Think Kindness. On Saturday, he’ll be telling families how a simple act of kindness, like that painted rock, can be lifechanging. And more community groups will be on hand to help kids, families and even veterans learn about how spreading kindness and compassion is an important key to suicide prevention.
The free event will be from 10 am to 12 pm on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, at the farm’s Second Street location. Attendees will be able to select two rocks and then get to work painting encouraging and kind messages on them.
- The first completed rock will remain at the Urban Rock Teaching Farm where visiting children from Washoe County School District field trips, home school sessions or weekly camps held throughout the year can play and learn among this community gallery of supportive and hopeful messages.
- That second rock can be placed around town at the discretion of the painter as a sharable reminder of hope.
Join Connie, Caroline, Fayth and their friends from Think Kindness, the Crisis Support Center of Northern Nevada, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office, the Nevada Children’s Mobile Crisis Response Team, and local media expert and suicide prevention advocate Tiffany East to learn how we can support those children and adults in our community struggling with feelings of hopelessness.
While the event is free, please RSVP on the Painting for Compassion Facebook page.
Painting for Compassion will be at the Urban Roots Teaching Farm in partnership with Renown Health located at 1700 E. Second St., Reno NV 89502, behind Renown Health. Free street parking is available
